PEACH, van Munster has been known to make serious geographic mistakes. However, I think we have to take him at his word on 2 African countries. That knocks out Florence, but it makes a lot of sense. Why go to Africa for just 2 days and fly right back? I believe that flying back to Florence after Dubrovnik is just not going to happen in this super-fast face course.

The other equally important implication is that July 29 - July 8 = 21 days. Girdwood or Anchorage is the FINISH LINE. There will be no traditional finish in the lower 48. Some year they will do the same in Hawaii.

I agree with everything you are saying about why it makes sense to stay in Africa, apskip....But I still am questioning whether or not this could be a reporting error?

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Ireland is one of five new countries The Amazing Race 12 filmed in, along with Croatia, Lithuania and two African countries with names that van Munster said most people can't pronounce.

If we have five new countries: and we already have Ireland, Croatia, Lithuania, Burkina Faso, and Taiwan---how does that leave room for another African country?

I am just concerned that this quote is NOT quoting BVM directly, and I think it could possibly reflect a reporters misinterpretation of what was heard. I would have been more comfortable if it had been a direct quote from BVM instead. Someone not famililar with Burkina Faso could have possibly misinterpreted that as two countries. Since we don't know for sure, I guess we'll have to continue speculating at this point, IMO.

And I think with the new 21 day info that Alaska COULD be the Finale City although I want to review my source info closely. The area the tasks took place in is remote and I am having trouble visualizing ALL the teams appearing there awaiting the final run to the Mat. Not to say that they couldn't go back to Girdwood or even Anchorage though on the same day. So this will all require another close look from us!

And while this started out as a Media topic, I may copy this over to Speculation as well for further discussion of all the possibilities.

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PEACH, van Munster has been known to make serious geographic mistakes. However, I think we have to take him at his word on 2 African countries. That knocks out Florence, but it makes a lot of sense. Why go to Africa for just 2 days and fly right back? I believe that flying back to Florence after Dubrovnik is just not going to happen in this super-fast face course.

The other equally important implication is that July 29 - July 8 = 21 days. Girdwood or Anchorage is the FINISH LINE. There will be no traditional finish in the lower 48. Some year they will do the same in Hawaii.

So if Florence doesn't fit into your schedule/timeline it is knocked out? Also why count July 8th as a day? Why can't they be back in the states on July 30th?

So if Florence doesn't fit into your schedule/timeline it is knocked out? Also why count July 8th as a day? Why can't they be back in the states on July 30th?

puddin, in a 21 day race anything that does not fit into the very tight schedule is indeed out. We know that teams are not going to leave Burkina Faso before July 15 and that they need to be in Dubrovnik by July 18. There isn't time for 2 legs there, so if there is a second African country that leg has to be starting with departure from Burkina Faso on July 15. Although my previous timeline had a REST DAY at Florence, that does not mean that you could fit a leg into that amount of time since you still have to get there from somewhere in Africa and still have to end up in Dubrovnik on schedule. That knocks Florence out unless you think it is feasible to go there after Vilnius. I do not think so.

Of course we count the morning of July 8 as the starting point because that is when the race started. Whether it is a "day" or not is irrelevant. The key is how many 24 hour time periods occur until July 29 in Girdwood. The inescapable answer is 21 such periods. I rest my case.

OK thanks Kogs but for instance we've had a few and I recall Mauritius, the Lakshmi Statue, an introflash that never came about but they did go to Mauritius that season /10. Then last season we had the Henna painting on the stone wall and the fish as well as the little boy with the bottle but we assume that was the skipped leg Africa leg which escapes my memory

OK thanks Kogs but for instance we've had a few and I recall Mauritius, the Lakshmi Statue, an introflash that never came about but they did go to Mauritius that season /10. Then last season we had the Henna painting on the stone wall and the fish as well as the little boy with the bottle but we assume that was the skipped leg Africa leg which escapes my memory

remember some locations are editied out. thats why i said what i think with statues of places

not trying to think too deeply into this, but i really think that they probably didn't count taiwan as a separate country. the politics between taiwan and china are very sticky, and the united states' official policy is to view it as "one country" -- and besides, taiwan is officially called the "republic of china" (as opposed to the people's republic of china = mainland china).

if they are staying in west africa, i'd think they'd go to togo, mali, or benin, but those countries are not very hard to pronounce. côte d'ivoire is close to burkina faso but i think the political situation is less than friendly. guinea-bissau is another option, because i'm pretty sure that the instability in the country is only in specific regions (as opposed to widespread).

Lorena Segura and Jason Widener, The Amazing Race Reality TV's most fantastic voyage is back, and as the 12th season of The Amazing Race (Sundays at 8 pm/ET, CBS) kicks off, TVGuide.com got the inside scoop from one of the new teams. Before we see the first detour, roadblock or "Philimination," dating couple Lorena Segura, 27, and Jason Widener, 33, tell us about the new challenges, how the Race affected their relationship and what they didn't pack for the trip.

TVGuide.com: So why did you guys want to be on The Amazing Race?Jason: Go, Lorena.Lorena: He said that because I came up with the idea of doing it. I love travel, and I love competition, and I just thought this was a perfect match. And also, Jason and I don't get to see each other that much, even though we live together, because we're always doing stuff. And this was a great opportunity to be together under tense circumstances.Jason: I wasn't down with that exactly the same way — to be with Lorena all the time. [Laughs] I love my girl, but the main thing with me is that this is my kind of race; I love doing things like this as far as adventure.

TVGuide.com: It seems equally amazing and nerve-racking to me.Lorena: Oh, my gosh, it's like adrenaline....Jason: Basically watch the show and multiply it by 10. I watched it and thought, "This is not so bad." But people don't take into account so many factors, like being tired and hungry.Lorena: It was delirious, but fun delirious.Jason: What's so beautiful about the Race is that you can't predict anything that's going to happen to you. Everything's a surprise.Lorena: All the detours and roadblocks... I can't tell you what we did, but it was amazing. We wouldn't be able to do that on your own, the way they set it up to go through those countries and experience them is just pretty darn cool.

TVGuide.com: Was it more physically challenging than you thought it would be?Lorena: No. It's physically challenging in that you don't sleep and you have to run from place to place. We ran all the time. We felt like we had to run everywhere. But as far as the actual competitions... you're going to be surprised.Jason: You're carrying the backpacks all the time. You've really got to learn to pace yourself.

TVGuide.com: That backpack has your whole life in it.Lorena: Everything's in there. Jason: We tried to shave it down. We were, like, one pair of underwear.Lorena: We both had two. We bought the ones that last for a long time. You wash them in water and they dry in 10 minutes. [Laughs] I think this may be too much information about our personal items, Jason!

TVGuide.com: Did the Race test your relationship?Jason: You're definitely going to see Lorena and me very emotional.Lorena: I was dealing with the pressure of competition and being on a team; the feeling overwhelmed me. I cried a lot.Jason: Lorena and I are used to doing things separately; we're very competitive, live-on-the-edge people, and all of a sudden we have to work completely as a team in one of the most stressful situations possible.Lorena: The roadblocks, to me, were the biggest challenge — you don't want to let the other person down. But I look back and I'm like, we were playing a game.

TVGuide.com: So it felt like a game while you were doing it?Jason: You're just focused on the task at hand. You're not worried about it being a show or whatever. That's why it's so great, because it's real. You're just doing your thing, man — you don't care about anything else.Lorena: Of course there's editing, but what you see is really what happened.

TVGuide.com: Some people grow closer during the Race, while others... not so much. Which category would you guys fall into?Lorena: I think we grew a lot closer; we started realizing that trust was a big thing, and I didn't realize how much we didn't trust each other in certain areas. As the Race went by, we started letting go of those issues. I think we came together really well.Jason: I still don't think Lorena trusts me enough — still! Lorena, you don't have to double-bag the trash can. Trust me!Lorena: Oh, that was today.Jason: Always something.Lorena: But we grew closer in that we got through it together and we're still together, so that's an accomplishment.

TVGuide.com: Race teams often end up with a label, like the Bowling Moms or the Hippies. Did you guys get a nickname?Lorena: I heard that people were calling Jason "Mountain Man."Jason: We asked, but we don't actually know. We're dying to see what people said. [Laughs]

TVGuide.com: So now that you've done the Race once, would you do it again?Lorena: I would love to do it again. I'm jealous that I can't do it again. I'm like, "How do I get into All-Stars?" I would definitely do it again. You have to live in the moment; the Race just forces you to do that. That's how you should live every single day — having to live right there and then.Jason: I would do it again in a heartbeat. It really was a once-in-a-lifetime thing; it's something I'll be thinking of when I'm 75 years old.

Five years ago, the Emmy folks established a new category, awarding a statuette for Outstanding Reality Competition Program.

For five straight years, the same show has won: "The Amazing Race," which returns for its 12th cycle Sunday night at 8 on CBS.

It's returning earlier than expected, rushed onto the schedule because CBS killed "Viva Laughlin" in the same time slot. Coming off the bench is a much stronger, better show.

The opening hour, which this year introduces 11 teams of two globetrotting competitors, is solid enough. Loyal "Race" viewers, though, know that, as with "Survivor," the show really picks up as the herd starts to thin. At the start, the dynamics tend to fall into familiar refrains: guys who won't stop and ask for directions, young women who intend to flirt their way to the front, and teams that steal other teams' taxicabs.

If they'd paid attention to other seasons of this show, they'd know that wrong turns can kill you, flirting doesn't work in cold rainy climates, and, as on "My Name Is Earl," karma has a way of leveling the playing field.

New elements this time include some of the locations, starting with a first-leg hop from Los Angeles to Ireland, and some of the more aggressively cast teams. One team, two ministers married to each other, roam the Irish countryside remarking on the beauty of God's landscapes - and they're lesbians.

Another team is made up of two goth competitors who sport lots of makeup - and one's a guy.

Other teams include the standard bickering lovers, father-daughter pairings and even a grandpa-grandson duo. The father of the father-daughter team celebrates one happy moment by asking his offspring, "Who's your daddy?"

Kind of creepy, but also kind of funny.

Funniest of all, though, is a task requiring teams to lead a donkey from one point to another. One donkey can't be stopped. Another can't be started.

"The Amazing Race" stands firm as well - as, once again, the reality competition series to beat.

oooh! In that frst video --the reporter asks Phil--so why did you get rid of the NEL rounds? Phil hedged big time--"I'm not sure where you heard that--I am not going to comment--You will just have to watch to see how that plays out"--maybe they have something new for us instead?

And oh yeah Phil--we heard it from BVM!

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Well first maybe--but also from the RealityTV world Interview with BVM:

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Also adding to The Amazing Race 12's excitement level, according to van Munster, is the fact that the show has done away with non-elimination legs, a format change executive producer Jonathan Littman first revealed at the Television Critics Association summer press.

"The audience and ourselves, we're not crazy about non-eliminations," said van Munster. "It's exciting to see people eliminated at the end of every episode."

Non-elimination legs have been part of The Amazing Race since the reality competition series first premiered in Fall 2001, and the show's fifth edition was the first in which teams were penalized for being the last to reach non-elimination Pit Stops. Doing away with non-elimination legs means there will also be no more penalties, an aspect that van Munster said will also make The Amazing Race 12 more fast-paced.

"Penalties just make it murky," he explained. "This is just such a clean-cut concept, it's not about finding more penalties and hurdles for people. That's not what this thing is about. I think the audience and our fans like eliminations from what we understand."

The fact that a team will be eliminated at the end of every The Amazing Race 12 leg will also keep the contestants on their toes.

"For the contestants, the heat's on every step of the way," added van Munster. "Every leg of the way the heat is on because they can be eliminated."

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I know what you mean peach, Phil is trying to be so careful as what to say .

Roush Dispatch A Love Letter to an Amazing RaceThe Amazing Race is a love letter to the planet," says Kate in this weekend's season premiere. This wonderful, visually spectacular series is also an ode to adventure, as well as a valentine to cultural diversity, which Kate and her life partner, Pat, exemplify. They’re lesbian Episcopal ministers from California — Kate is 49 and Pat is 65 — and according to CBS promotional information, they "dated for seven years before tying the knot three years ago." They’re good company, but as Pat says, "Kate and I are not wimps for Jesus."

No one’s a pushover on this 12th running of The Amazing Race, and as usual, there are teams that will irritate the viewer (and each other) and those you will instantly root for. Sunday’s opener, airing Sunday at 8 pm/ET (replacing the blink-and-you-missed it Viva Laughlin), is a brisk and entertaining first leg that takes the teams from Los Angeles’ Playboy Mansion to the wilds of Shannon, Ireland.

Even if we weren’t already enjoying strong seasons of Dancing with the Stars, Survivor: China, America’s Next Top Model, and Beauty and the Geek and awaiting the return next week of Bravo’s trendsetting Project Runway (the first episode is terrific), CBS’ multiple-Emmy-winning The Amazing Race would be enough to give credibility to the entire reality genre. Once again, it is produced magnificently and cast with a canny eye for diversity (including, refreshingly, of all age types), even if this season does seem awfully fond of contestants from California. (Seven of the 11 teams currently live in the state.) One team that’s definitely out of the norm: Kynt and Vyxsin (pronounced "vixen"), an upbeat "Goth" couple from Kentucky whose extreme looks would probably give Dave and Mary, our favorite coal-mining couple from past seasons, a coronary.

It takes all types to play this game, and that’s always a good thing. The extremes of the game are also fun to behold. On the first leg, that includes an exhilarating challenge involving riding a bike on a high wire across a windswept ravine. Which is directly followed by a down-and-dirty assignment featuring donkeys, which is not as easy as it sounds if the donkey isn’t willing to play. And given some of the bellowing going on among the teams (make your own "ass" joke here), you can hardly blame these beasts of burden for digging their heels in.

It’s a great start for a reliably great series. Having The Amazing Race back on Sundays feels right. In fact, you might even say amazing.

Nov. 2 -- The 12th season of 'The Amazing Race' kicks off this Sunday at the Playboy Mansion in Beverly Hills and wraps up 50,000 miles and 28 days later. With that frenzied pace, it should be exciting to see who crosses the finish line first to win the $1 million check. This season, no one gets a free pass. Those lazy non-elimination rounds have been, well, eliminated, resulting in fewer, more intense episodes than in seasons past.

"After 12 seasons, you don't want the contestants to go into the race thinking, 'I know what's next,'" said co-executive producer Elise Doganieri. The show will crisscross the world, from Holland to India to Croatia, and head to a few off-the-beaten-track towns that will send viewers grabbing for their globes.

"There are probably four places that the average person is going to hear and say, 'They're going where?' And they're going to have to get out a map to know where it is. They are very remote," said Bertram Van Munster, the other half of the executive producing team. "We hit most of the continents, except Antarctica."

Nov. 2 -- The 12th season of 'The Amazing Race' kicks off this Sunday at the Playboy Mansion in Beverly Hills and wraps up 50,000 miles and 28 days later. With that frenzied pace, it should be exciting to see who crosses the finish line first to win the $1 million check. This season, no one gets a free pass. Those lazy non-elimination rounds have been, well, eliminated, resulting in fewer, more intense episodes than in seasons past.

"After 12 seasons, you don't want the contestants to go into the race thinking, 'I know what's next,'" said co-executive producer Elise Doganieri. The show will crisscross the world, from Holland to India to Croatia, and head to a few off-the-beaten-track towns that will send viewers grabbing for their globes.

"There are probably four places that the average person is going to hear and say, 'They're going where?' And they're going to have to get out a map to know where it is. They are very remote," said Bertram Van Munster, the other half of the executive producing team. "We hit most of the continents, except Antarctica."